Charlemagne: A Frank Analysis of Imperialism in the 8th and 9th Centuries
Charlemagne has been approached by historians because of the pivotal role he fills as the Father of a Continent. His kingdom spread across Europe and renewed the culture of the Western World; a “mini-Renaissance” that shifted the focal point of Europe away from crumbling Rome.
A Medieval Peace Movement: The Bianchi of 1399
‘It was truly an extraordinary thing, an amazing business!’ – the Bianchi in 1399 – a medieval peace movement in Italy
Pope Gregory VII: A Church Reformer
By the time that Hildebrand was appointed Pope Gregory VII, the Church was in dire need of change and direction.
The Rise of Muscovy
Kievan Rus which was founded in 880 was made up of a loose knit alliance between small city states in what is today western Russia. The most powerful of these city states was Kiev. During the early thirteenth century the Mongol continued their march west until they conquered Kievan Rus in 1240.
Merovingian and Carolingian Empires: An Analysis of Their Strengths and Weaknesses
In this research paper I will analyze the achievements and the destruction of the Merovingian Empire to demonstrate how both provide a basic structure of government for the Carolingians to adopt.
A Postmodem Look at a Medieval Poet: The Case of William Dunbar
Recently, Umberto Eco, that well-known postmodemist critic/writer, has lamented that “‘postmodem’ is a term bon atout jaire. I have the impres- sion that it is applied today to anything the user happens to like.
Let the Drama Begin
Unlike in many of today’s performances, audiences were encouraged to participate in the action, heckling the ‘bad guys’ and cheering for the ‘good guys.’
The Lives of St Samson: rewriting the ambitions of an early medieval cult
In the middle of the ninth century, at the monastery of Dol in Brittany, the Life of the sixth-century saint Samson was rewritten. The rewriter evidently perceived a defi- ciency in the existing Life of St Samson, and one that many modern historians would come to share: the fact that it had very little to say about Brittany.
The Siege of Beauvais in 1472
The Burgundians made a rush into the gap. The citizens fought madly from the walls with swords, their bodies, stones and lead. Archery and crossbow fire rained down on the enemy.
The Unicorn, St Andrew and the Thistle: Was there an Order of Chivalry in Late Medieval Scotland?
A common expression of kingship throughout Europe in the fifteenth century was the founding of orders of chivalry. Whether the Scottish crown also attempted to appropriate the ideologies of chivalry in this way is important to establish.
Top 10 Medieval News Stories of 2013
The year 2013 has shown how science and technology can be a huge asset for medieval studies.
Feeding the micel here in England c. 865-878
Feeding the micel here in England c. 865-878 Shane McLeod Journal of the Australian Early Medieval Association, Volume 3 (2007) Abstract With the…
The Great Transition: Climate, Disease and Society in the 13th and 14th Centuries
Across the Old World the late-thirteenth and fourteenth centuries witnessed profound and sometimes abrupt changes in the trajectory of established historical trends
The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra
Around the fourth century in what is now Turkey, a boy of humble circumstance became a man revered for his many virtues.
An early medieval symbol carved on a tree trunk: pathfinder or territorial marker?
The chance discovery of a carved symbol on a waterlogged tree of the six–ninth century AD may be the earliest mark on a living tree that has so far come to light.
The Montfortian bishops and the justification of conciliar government in 1264
In 1266, five English bishops were suspended from office for supporting Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, in rebellion against King Henry III.
The Last Week of the Life of Edward the Black Prince
Edward the Black Prince died in the palace of Westminster, after years of debilitating illness, on Trinity Sunday, 8 June 1376. There has been little or no discussion by historians of why the prince should have chosen Canterbury for burial, when Westminster abbey was already well-established as the royal mausoleum, or any discussion at all of another matter to which the prince gave attention in his very last days, namely the grant of a charter of disaffor- estation to the community of Wirral in his earldom and county of Chester.
Medievalism as fun and games
Medievalism hides in many guises in contemporary culture, of which four will be examined here.
A Reburial fit for a King
An Oxford University academic has put together an authentic order of service for the planned reburial of Richard III.
Tasting Misery Among Snakes: The Situation of Smiths in Anglo-Saxon Settlements
The prominence of smiths in early medieval culture should capture the imagination of archaeologists interpreting the remains of Anglo-Saxon metalworking.
Elemental theory in everyday practice: food disposal in the later medieval English countryside
For medieval rural communities the story of food did not necessarily end in its eating.
‘Grandissima Gratia’: The Power of Italian Renaissance Shoes as Intimate Wear
In the Renaissance fashion system gender identification and expressions of power through shoes were instead primarily based on varying degrees of their invisibility.
Traveler’s Tips from the 14th Century: The Detours of Ibn Battuta
What advice can Ibn Battuta provide the globe-trotting public of the 21st century?
How to Steal the King’s Crown: Helene Kottanner’s tale of a theft from the year 1440
In the year 1440, a servant woman named Helene Kottanner is given the task of stealing the crown of the King of Hungary. Helene tells us how she did it.